


As you wish

by FangsMate



Category: Princess Bride (1987), Underground (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24962704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangsMate/pseuds/FangsMate
Summary: Samuel, Rosalee and Noah's son is staying at his grandparents home when he comes down sick with a very bad cold. His beloved Grandmothers entertain him with a story of true love, loss, heartache of the most terrible kind, A journey of more than a thousand miles, and a Bandit. How does the story end?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Once upon a time

“Grandma?” Samuel looked up in delight from his bed, an expression of sheer joy in his eyes. He hated being sick, but he loved spending time with his grandma. She always told the best stories. Grandma had been everywhere, had seen everything, Granny said that Grandma was the sole surviving heir to an old fortune, from long ago when they were young. Samuel loved his parents, his Daddy was a blacksmith in town, and he sometimes let Samuel come to his shop. Mama worked with Auntie Harriet, and she never told Samuel what she was doing, though whenever she left for weeks at a time, he got to stay with his grandmothers. Granny carried him on her strong shoulders, let him sit beside her while she decorated the pastries and candies she sold in her shop in town. But this visit, he’d come down with a cold, and sadly, he was confined to the big feather bed that Grandma had made. Not that he really minded, he decided with a smile. Before she left in the morning, Granny made him oatmeal with blueberries, and at night she made the chicken soup that always made him feel better. Grandma tried to cook, but after she accidentally left a towel on the burner and set the kitchen wall on fire, Granny had banned her from entering the kitchen again. So at lunch time they had leftovers. Grandma worked as well, but after a long ago injury, she couldn’t do as much as she used to.  
“How about I tell you a story? One Im sure you haven’t heard before.” Grandma sat down slowly, in the rocking chair beside the bed.  
“Ive heard all of your stories” Samuel smiled, shaking his head as he turned over, to face her, excitement gleaming in his eyes. “Well, I think I have.”  
“No, you haven’t heard this one. I guarantee it.” Grandma’s eyes danced, and she took out her knitting from the basket beside the bed. When she did that, Samuel knew it was going to be a long story.  
“What’s it about?” He asked, getting impatient. She liked to tease him by stalling the beginning.  
“Well, It’s about two people, who fell in love, and their story together, apart, and together again. It’s about an outlaw, who’s heart was a pure and beautiful as the stars themselves. Its about a mother who would do anything for her children, and about a mother who was so blinded by hate, she let it rule her life.” Grandma finished, sighing as she settled back into her chair, the rhythmic rocking telling Samuel the tale was about to begin.  
“It was the summer of 1845. Annabelle and Suzanna Macon were in their late teens. Suzanna was their mother’s favorite sister, destined to be the heiress of the great Macon fortune. Annabelle was the wild one. She never sat still, never had any interest in any of the boys who Mama sent around to try to court her. She’d out ride them, beat them at poker, and, to Mama’s absolute horror, curse like a sailor to scare them off. Unknown to Mama and Suzanne however, Annabelle’s heart was already promised to someone. That someone was their house girl. Ernestine. One glance from that woman could melt her very heart, turn her to mush, and when she smiled at Annabelle, it seemed that the very world stood still.”  
“Grandma” Samuel groaned in annoyance. “This better not be a kissy story. Get to the good stuff.”  
“Alright Kiddo, alright. I’ll get to the good stuff. Just hold on a second.” She laughed, then continued.  
“But they had to hide their love. If discovered, Ernestine would be sold further south, and Annabelle likely would be sent away to an institution. So they developed an arrangement, a code of sorts.  
“House girl.” Annabelle would call out, several times a day, “Mend my riding pants? I tore them on this mornings ride.”  
“House girl. Fetch me a glass of tea?”  
“House girl. Fluff my pillows?” And as many other requests she could fathom up, each more pointless than the last. Anything to have Ernestine close to her.  
“As you wish.” That was all. Ernestine had the same response each time to whatever Annabelle asked of her. To anyone else listening, it was the respect that white folks commanded of their slaves. But to the two of them, it meant I love you. They shared their secret smiles and codes, until one fateful day.  
Annabelle’s father was a horrible drunk, a man who, at times, got physical with her, when he was angry, but never with his golden girl, his Suzanna. For some reason lost to memory, Robert Macon chose Ernestine to take his anger out on that hot August afternoon. Annabelle heard the screaming, the cursing, and Ernestine’s frightened voice. Annabelle didn’t even think, she just lunged between her father’s whip and her lover. The whip landed, slicing her across the front, tearing her dress, slicing her from shoulder to thighs. She didn’t scream, didn’t cry out, refusing to allow him to hurt her beloved. Her father’s eyes widened, and he stepped back, dropping the whip to the ground, stalking off muttering obscenities under his breath.  
“Stine” Annabelle could hardly breath, the scent of blood filling her nostrils, the pain so unbearable she could barely focus on anything other than the warm hand that clutched her own.  
“I’m here. I’m right here. Come on now. Lets get you on your feet.” Ernestine tried her best, but Annabelle couldn’t manage to rise, couldn’t manage to do anything other than squeeze the hand that held her own.  
For six weeks after that night, Ernestine never left Annabelle’s side. When Annabelle had been able to speak the day after, she had told her mother that her father had attacked her, which was true, in part, and her mother allowed her to have Ernestine take care of her, since the others were busy preparing for Suzanna’s engagement party. Those six weeks meant everything to them both. When they were sure no one would notice, or step in, Ernestine would lay beside her in the bed, at first, barely touching her, except to change the herbal dressings that were slowly healing her destroyed flesh.  
“You didn’t have to do that, you know?” Ernestine whispered one night, as she was helping Annabelle out of a cold bath. Annabelle could see the grief in Stein’s eyes every time she looked at Annabelle’s slow healing skin. To make matters worse, Annabelle had been hit over the heart, and the Doctor her mother had called in had cautioned her that she likely would no longer be able to do a lot of the things she once had, at least with the same intensity.  
“Yes. I did.” Annabelle responded, suppressing a yelp as Ernestine helped her to lay back down, against the pillows, and softly began to spread the cream on the healing scars. “I love you. I WON’T let anyone hurt you. You’re my heart.”  
Gradually, Annabelle began to heal, and was allowed to walk short distances. Ernestine supported her as she walked down the path to the stable for the first time in nearly two months. She never rode again, like she had before. Oh, she rode. But she missed jumping the hedges, and racing against the suitors, that used to come to call, but she never let Ernestine know just how much that broke her heart. She wouldn’t change it, if given the chance, shed take those lashes for her a million times over.  
“Grandma” Samuel asked. “What happened to Ernestine? You’re telling me all about Annabelle, but what happened with Ernestine?” He sighed. “Do she and Annabelle get married? Run away together? What happens?”  
“Sam, Im getting to that. They get their happy ending, but a LOT happens first.” Grandma laughed as she stood slowly, leaning on the chair for a moment, as she often did upon standing, before taking Samuels glass and heading into the kitchen to get him some more lemonade, one of the few things she could make without causing damage to the house.  
“Hi Sweetheart.” She nearly jumped out of her skin as a pair of arms wrapped around her middle, lips kissing the back of her neck. The scent of flour and icing filling her nostrils.  
“Hello My love. Have a good day at the bakery?” She asked, turning, wrapping her arms around her partner’s waist, resting her head against her chest. She smiled as she felt the calloused hands at the back of her neck, massaging the spot just at the base of her spine. “Darling…I’ve got to get back to Samuel. We’re in the middle of a story.”  
“Hmmm. How about I join you. Havent seen you since breakfast. I miss ya.” She giggled at the tickle of breath in her ear, and she raised her head to look into the beautiful honey brown eyes.  
“Id like that.” She whispered, leaning forward to capture the soft lips with her own. “I swear, we’re still like two teenagers, you and I” She laughed, breaking away and filling up the glass with lemonade, sighing gently as she turned back towards the guestroom. “G…give me a second.” She whispered, sinking down into the chair placed in the hallway for exactly that purpose.  
“Sweetheart- stay with me now, alright? Hey…hey…eyes on mine, come on now, breathe through it, itll pass.” She focused on the soft voice, the gentle song for her ears and her ears alone.  
“Granny” Samuel stood in the hallway, his eyes wide. “Is Grandma alright?”  
“I’m fine buddy.” Grandma’s voice was strained, weak as she lifted her head. Granny held out the lemonade glass to Samuel, the quiet authority in her voice again.  
“Get back in that bed. We’ll be in there in a minute. Go on.”  
“Stine- Im fine.” Her voice was soft, and she leaned forward, moving to get up when she fell backwards again. “This doesn’t…doesn’t happen…much lately…”  
“Shhhhh….Here. Youre not getting back on your feet until your heart rate gets back to normal. Its flying like a…Damn, I did this didn’t I? When I surprised you? Im sorry about that.”  
“If It costs me a couple minutes feeling like absolute horse shit in exchange for you being your romantic self, Im glad for the trade.” She again moved to get up, sinking back down into the chair. “ Stine, honey, come on, I’ll be fine.”  
“Last time you said that you collapsed getting out of the carriage. Harriet had to CARRY your ass inside. Just sit still. Stop being so damn stubborn. Just let me hold you.”  
“I love you.” She whispered softly, “I love you more than you could ever know.”  
“I know you do.” She raised her head, giving a long heavy sigh. “Come on my love. We’ll get into the room, its only a couple more steps. Lean against me. There we are. Very good. Easy darling. Easy..”  
Very slowly, they made their way into the guest room, sinking onto the couch, cause Samuel to smile brightly.  
“Are you gonna finish the story now? You were gonna tell me what happened with Ernestine. Did they get married?” Samuel laughed when Granny raised an eyebrow.  
“Lets let Grandma rest. How about I tell a bit now?” Granny asked, her eyes dancing with mischief.


	2. Always

_“After Suzanna married, life changed for Ernestine. Tom Hawkes, began as a good, fair man. But there was a darkness in him even from the beginning. He took a liking to Ernestine, who, after Aliza’s death, had become the head house slave. Tom and Suzanna had begun having….issues in their marriage, and he sought comfort from other sources. He became a drunk, like his father in law before him, and, life on the Plantation changed for the worst. He wanted more slaves, young, new blood to replace the old ones who were dying off. He bought a man, French, from a farm down south, specifically to be Ernestine’s husband. For two years, they had a bond rivalled only by hers and Annabelle’s. Annabelle, during this time, was sent up North to the finest hospital in the Nation’s capital to undergo surgery to try and fix her heart. For her health had failed considerably since she had supposedly healed, unable to make it down the stairs to the dining room without collapsing in Ernestine’s arms. When it got to the point of her being unable to rise from the bed, Suzanna relented, but even she could not convince Tom to send her sister north. But Ernestine, she had, and always had, something up her sleeve._

Granny fell silent then, and Samuel saw something in her eyes he couldn’t place. Grandma raised her head, running her index finger along Granny’s cheek. “It’s alright.” She wiped away a tear that trailed down Granny’s cheek. “I’m here. Youre here.”

Granny took a deep, shuddering breath, then continued.

_Now Tom Macon always had his eye on Ernestine. And Ernestine knew that her Annabelle did not have much time. Already her health had taken such a turn she couldn’t rise from her bed. Even so much as sitting up now was too much. Her heart had been hit, you see, and that’s not an easy thing to heal from. Ernestine went to Tom’s study the day Annabelle fell into her coma. She offered Tom the one thing he was too afraid to ask of her. But on one condition. Annabelle would be sent North to heal, to get better, and Tom could have, could do, whatever he so chose._

_Sam, Ernestine’s first son was born nine months after the carriage left for Washington. Oh, she loved that baby more than life itself, but all was not at peace. Tom became jealous, wanting Ernestine all to herself. To this day, she doesn’t know if her first born was French’s or Tom’s. But she always told him he was French’s son._

_French, was working out in the field one day, when he was beaten severely, the overseer striking him across the back over seventy times with the whip. It was too late, by the time Ernestine was summoned from the big house. French died that night by the fire’s glow. Her son was two._

_Within the next three years, Ernestine birthed two more children, Rosalee, and James, both by Tom Macon. But her heart, still, was broken. Each night, no matter how exhausted she was, she still returned to the hill top, staring out towards the road, hoping and praying that Annabelle would come back. For a long time, she didn’t even know if her Annabelle was still alive. Tom told her nothing, and she knew not to push him._

_Rosalee was four years old when the carriage returned up the drive, Annabelle’s white mare at the head of the team. Ernestine held back the tears as she hurried to help her into the house. She looked even more beautiful than Ernestine remembered, and it took every single bit of self control she had not to wrap her in her arms and hold her as tightly as possible. Ernestine had missed her, more than shed ever tell another living soul._

_Annabelle’s health was better, far better than it had been, but she was still, and always would be frail. She took to knitting beautiful things for the house, and every evening, when the children were in bed, and the work was done, Ernestine accompanied her on a walk around the grounds. They’d hold hands, and steal kisses underneath the willow tree behind the stables, and life, for a time, was peaceful for them both. Sam, Rosalee, and James became like children to Annabelle, and Suzanna allowed it, so that Ernestine could have her time filled with the word of raising the Master’s family._

_Trouble was on the horizon, however. Noah and Rosalee ran one night, and not but a week later, another group ran and left. Ernestine’s heart shattered when her daughter left, but little did she know, it was about to break even further._

“Its alright Sweetheart.” Grandma’s voice was soft, and she sat up slowly, taking Granny’s hand in her own. Samuel sensed that this story was going to take an even darker, sadder turn. He chose to stay silent when Granny turned to bury her face in Grandma’s blouse.

“I love you.” Granny took a deep breath before continuing, wrapping her arms around Grandma’s middle, holding her close to her, borrowing her strength.

_Ernestine knew, the night Sam ran, that her days with him were numbered. He was dragged back, and Tom showed mercy, though she should’ve known, that was too good to be true._

_Annabelle was away in a neighboring county on the day of Tom Macon’s speech. Ernestine was glad of that at least. When she saw Sam, her Sam, hanging from the balcony, she damn near lost her mind. The overseer threw in her in the box, supposed to have been there for three long days. But at dawn, Ernestine raised her head to hear hoofbeats and carriage wheels, the bells of Annabelle’s horses. Not but ten minutes later, she felt the swift gallop of the mare charging towards her, saw the bright sunlight, and the soft blue of Annabelle’s eyes._

_“Oh Stine. I’m sorry. Im so so sorry. If only I had been here” Annabelle wrapped her shawl around Ernestine’s body, shielding her nakedness from any prying eyes. “Im here darling. Im here. Oh sweetheart, we’re going to get through this. You and I. Together. We’re getting through this. I promise you that.” Ernestine fell into her arms, sobbing into her shoulder, clinging to her, for once in their time together, allowing herself not to be the strong one._

_“I could’ve done something. I should’ve done something. Sam is dead because of me!” Ernestine cried until her voice was hoarse._

_“No.” Annabelle’s own voice was filled with venom, eyes dark and angry. “Its that spineless idiot Tom. He killed your son. OUR son, if I may be so bold as call him so. I love your children as my own. I love them Stine, just as I love you. You are my heart song. And Im hell bent on making sure that man pays for what he did to you.” She held Ernestine, lifting her in her arms, helping her walk towards the big house, one hand on the reins of her mare, wincing as she felt the world spinning around her._

_“Are you alright?” Ernestine asked softly, stopping mid stride. “You’re pale. Are you feeling faint? Do we need to rest?”_

_“Im fine Stine. I’m going to get you inside, to my chambers. I’ll talk to Tom. But YOU are staying with me. It’s my time to take care of you now.”_

_And so, Annabelle did. She nursed Ernestine back to health, physically, but could do little for her emotionally. Something died in her the moment that she saw Sam hanging from that rope. It wasn’t fair. She’d lost her heart that day, and Annabelle feared she’d never see the light in those beautiful eyes again._

_But Tom’s guilt caused him to turn a blind eye to what was taking place in his sister in law’s chambers, turned a blind eye to what he knew to be true. Ernestine and Annabelle were promised to one another._

_Annabelle held Ernestine through the nightmares, stroking her hair and kissing her lips. And in those moments, Ernestine felt whole again, if there was such a feeling for her anymore. “I love you.” She whispered, over and over again, many times each day, terrified that Annabelle too, would be ripped away from her grasp. Annabelle did her very best to offer what comfort she could, to show her that shed never leave Ernestine._

_“I love you Stine. I’ll always love you.” Annabelle promised, standing slowly, then kneeling on one knee._

_“Are you alright?” Instantly, Ernestine knelt down in front of her, running both hands along her arms. “Annabelle? Sweetheart? Look at me now?”_

_“Im fine love. Stand up. Please. Stine. Im fine. Just…doing something. Important” Annabelle whispered, leaning forward, kissing Ernestine softly on the lips. “Just stand up.” Ernestine raised an eyebrow, smiling as she pushed herself to her feet again._

_“Alright.” She stared at Annabelle curiously. What was going on?_

_“Ernestine, my love. I have loved you since we were children, and I will love you until the day I die. I don’t ever want there to come a day I don’t see your beautiful smile, hear your angelic voice, feel your arms around me or your hand in mine. But Stine, darling, I…I know it can never be real, never…we’ll never have a true wedding, not in the eyes of the law, Hell, I know that, but Stine, I ask you, to do me the honor, of allowing me to give you my heart, and to keep it safe, as long as we both are alive?”_

_“Oh Annabelle!” Ernestine gasped, sinking to her knees, wrapping her arms around Annabelle’s neck, tears falling from her eyes. “Yes! Sweetheart! Always. I will always be yours.” She wrapped her arms around Annabelle’s neck, staring into her eyes. “I will always and forever be yours.”_

“Come on Granny! What happened next?” Samuel begged, staring at his grandmothers. A grin on his face.

“THAT is a story to continue after supper.” Granny was looking Grandma warmly in the eyes, helping her to her feet, smiling as they turned from the room. “We’ll be right back. You catch a quick nap before supper, alright?”


	3. Hopelessness

_Annabelle was livid at her brother in law for taking the life of the boy she considered her son. Without telling Ernestine, she went to the study late one night to confront him. Tom was drunk. But Annabelle still pressed forward, though an unknown voice in the back of her mind was calling her away._

_“You killed my boy.” Her voice was low, threatening, as she advanced towards him, blue eyes dark as the storm inside of her. Her heart was shattered, destroyed, and she thought the only thing she could do to mend it was get revenge against Tom._

_“Your boy? I wasn’t under the impression that you were anyone’s mother. Thought you didn’t have children. Everyone in Georgia knows that you prefer the uh, fairer sex.” Tom’s voice was slurred, and his eyes travelled down the length of her body. In one swift movement, it wasn’t only his eyes doing the travelling._

_Annabelle ran to the slave quarters that night, to the house that had once been Sam’s. She couldn’t go to Ernestine, couldn’t face the woman she loved, not after what had just taken place. Instead, she curled up on the cot, her body shaking with tears, with grief, with shame. When mornings light showed her face, and Annabelle still had not returned, Ernestine began to worry. She paced, her heart hammering in her chest. Something wasn’t right. Something was very, very wrong._

_“Annabelle? Sweetheart? Are you alright?” Annabelle opened her eyes, seeing Ernestine kneeling beside her. She fought the urge to flinch as Ernestine placed a hand on her bruised cheek, her concerned expression changing to anger. “Who hurt you? Who hit you? I’ll tear them to pieces! Can you sit up? Here…love…I brought your medicine.”_

_“No one hit me Stine. I…I came here to…. feel closer to Sam, I ..I passed out, I….” She tried to think through the haze, through the pain, but luckily, Ernestine bought what she was saying._

_“I’ve got you darling.” Ernestine whispered, her brow furrowing when, instead of leaning into the embrace as she had in the past, Annabelle jerked out of it, pulling herself to her feet, thanking God that she had changed her dress, discarded the skirts with the blood stains. Ernestine, if she knew what had happened that night would very well do something reckless. Get herself killed._

_It ended up not mattering. Ernestine killed Tom the next night in the wine cellar, taking her revenge against him for killing Sam. Even on that night, though Annabelle held Ernestine close, Stine knew that something had changed between them, a void was there now, and she couldn’t understand why. She never initiated affection anymore, never asked to be held, never even smiled at her anymore. Something had broken inside of her, and Ernestine didn’t know what it could possibly be._

_“You got some nerve, bein’ silent like you doin” Ernestine hissed the morning of the funeral. “I need you. You know that. And don’t tell me you’re grieving Sam. I know that’s not it. So why don’t you tell me what the hell’s really goin on?” She stared daggers at Annabelle, the first time in all their years together that they’d argued._

_“And YOU’VE got some nerve Ernestine! Do you even care what happened to me? Do you even give a damn?” Annabelle’s voice shook, as she busied herself with her hair. She didn’t want Ernestine to see the still fading bruises at the base of her neck, didn’t want her to see the indents of where his hands had been._

_“Cant be any worse that having my SON killed. And YOU weren’t there! You weren’t there Annabelle! You could’ve stopped him!”_

_“That’s not fair Stine. Not fair and you know it. I would’ve been there for you in a damn heartbeat if I could’ve.” Annabelle winced as she felt Ernestine’s hand on the small of her back. Panic rose in her, and she jumped sideways._

_“See? It’s like you don’t want a thing to do with me anymore. Don’t want me to touch you, you haven’t smiled at me since I found you in the Quarters. If I’ve done something. If ive caused you, not to love me anymore-Please….tell me, and let me fix it.”_

_“I cant. Not now. I…I’ll tell you after the funeral. I just…I cant now.” Annabelle wrapped her arms around Ernestine, some instinct within her telling her it was important to do so. She clung to her, tears streaming down her face. “I cant…I cant tell you…..you will HATE me. I…I hate myself.”_

_“I can never hate you my love. We’ll talk after the funeral. I’ll be there for you, whatever you need.”_

_After the funeral never came for them. Mary took ill, and Suzanna asked Annabelle to take her home to stay with her, as the young teen had taken a special liking to spending time with her Aunt. Annabelle was grateful for the distraction, grateful for the excuse not to have to be at Tom’s funeral, though her heart ached for Ernestine, some instinct within her causing her a bit of unease. Still, however, she passed the time with Mary, sitting on the edge of her niece’s bed, smiling softly as she went over the sampler she was making, helping her to design the pattern. They’d both lost track of time, and it was sunset by the time Annabelle looked up to see Suzanna in the doorway. Her dress was torn, and there was blood at the corner of her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks, her hair a mess. Annabelle was beside her in moments, helping to steady her into a chair._

_“Sissy, what happened to you?” Annabelle asked, helping her to drink a glass of water. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she fought to keep it steady. “Where’s Stine?”_

_“Patty Canon, ambushed us, must have thought Stine was running. I don’t know. I don’t have the darndest idea…I…Shes gone Anna, shes gone. I got knocked out, and that Canon woman killed her.”_

_Annabelle didn’t rise from her bed for nearly a month. She barely slept or ate, and all the life left her. When she did eat, she was sick soon after, barely able to keep anything other than soup down. When she finally did rise, it was to pack her bags and harness her team to a wagon and head north, to Pennsylvania, to stay with Elizabeth once again, the widow of Tom’s brother, who she had stayed for while she was healing up from her surgery all those years ago._

_Once the wagon pulled into the station’s drive, she fell into Elizabeth’s arms and wept. Sobbing for all she was worth, finally able to share her grief with someone who understood._

_“We’ve got someone inside who’d like to see you.” Elizabeth said softly as she led Annabelle up the steps and into the boardinghouse._

_“Annabelle?” Her head lifted at the sound of that voice, a smile brightening her face for the first time in ages._

_“Rosalee!” Annabelle launched herself at the young woman, wrapping her arms around her, holding her close. “Oh honey, I’ve missed you! I was so worried! I…I…I..” She fell silent, the grief gleaming in her eyes as she pulled back._

_“Whats wrong?” Rosalee asked gently, staring at her, eyes wide, growing wild._

_“Tom died. Mary took sick at the funeral, and I took her home. Suzanna came back, later, bloodied, and bruised. The Canon gang attacked the carriage. Killed Ernestine.”_

_“No.” Rosalee clung to her, the both of them sinking to the ground, crying for the woman who meant everything to them both. “Not mama. What about..what about James? Was James there? Is he still alive?”_

_“Oh Rosalee.” Annabelle whispered, shaking her head. “James wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the carriage, but Suzanna bought him a horse, a stallion out of Kentucky to try to heal his heart. He was thrown, Suzanna says they couldn’t retrieve the body out of the ravine.”_

_“You didn’t see it happen?” Rosalee asked. “You let her get him a horse?”_

_“I didn’t LET her do anything! I..I was barely there, barely coherent. Id have stopped her if I could. Id have taught him to ride myself, and NEVER on a thoroughbred stallion. When she told me he died, It was like I died as well.” She whimpered. “Im so sorry.”_

_The days passed, turning to months, winter to spring. Annabelle began training with Harriet, going out on small runs with Rosalee, but anyone could see that her heart was broken. She spent nights up on the roof, staring up at the stars._

_“Are you alright Annabelle?” Harriet sat down beside her. “Dumb question. Of course you aren’t.”_

_“Harriet, are they up there?” Her voice was broken, afraid. “Last time we ever spoke, Ernestine and me, we argued. I..I was…something happened, that caused me to grow distant, physically, though it wasn’t her fault. She…she would’ve hated me if shed known. I never told her, what Tom did, the night I went to confront him. I..she thought I hated her.”_

_“She knows the truth now, She’s at peace. She’s got French, and Sam, and James. She’s watching over you now. Wanting you to live your best life, to find love again, if you can.” Harriet took a deep breath. “I’ve seen you lately. You’re alive when youre out on the trail, on a horse’s back. You ought to start riding again. You’ve got your medicine, as long as you take it easy, and don’t over do it. I don’t see any reason you shouldn’t go off riding. Just be safe.”_

_That next day, Annabelle awoke in the bedroom she’d been given, sicker than an old hound dog, repeatedly puking into the basin. Elizabeth came in, holding her hair back and rubbing her shoulders, Rosalee making her the tea Stine used to make when anyone was sick. It must have worked, because by noon she was saddling her white mare, the only horse Rosalee would trust her on, knowing her medical issues._

_And so, with an scrap of hair in her locket, a days’ worth of food in her saddle bags, and her medication, she turned off towards the river. She rode for hours, golden hair flying behind her, stopping the horse as she began to feel lightheaded. “Woah now.” She slid off the mare’s back, wincing as she fumbled with the lid of the medicine bottle, gasping as it was slapped out of her hand._

_“Wouldn’t touch that if I was you. Get your ass up! Now!” The voice that snarled in her ear belonged to the hands that dragged her roughly to her feet, and her eyes darted around, trying to see the face of her captor._

_“Don’t you look at me! Keep your eyes down!” The cuff to the side of her head made her ears ring, and she had no strength to protest the way her hands were tied behind her back, anger in the rough, calloused hands, tying impossible knots with the rope. She couldn’t scream as the gag was stuffed into her mouth, and the rope tied to the saddle horn of her mare._

_“Get on up there!” The stranger roughly jerked her mare’s reins, pulling her along like the paddy rollers who brought back the slaves. All she saw when she raised her head was the woman’s back. She wore men’s breeches similar to the ones Harriet wore on the runs, and a dark blouse. On her head sat a wide rimmed straw hat, but Annabelle could tell that her hair was worn in a long dark braid down her back. Annabelle didn’t much care about herself, she had nothing but Rosalee to live for anyways, and Rosalee would be fine, so long as she had Harriet and Noah. She was more concerned about the froth coming from her old mare’s mouth. When the woman roughly jerked the mares head, Annabelle could see blood on the bit._

_“Sit down and shut up. Don’t you even THINK on tryin’ to run. That may be your horse, but I know you cant go far without these.” The woman turned to her, and Annabelle saw that all but her dark eyes were covered by a bandana. She tried to cry out as the woman dumped the entire pill bottle on the ground, crushing the medicine underneath her boots. “Don’t want you to live long anyway, Saved ten of ‘em to keep you alive while I torture you.” She ripped the gag out of Annabelle’s mouth so fast it caused the nausea to come back. Annabelle sank to the ground, not even having time to throw up before she felt the sharp pain of a steel toed boot against her rib cage._

_“I didn’t tell you to sit. Get your ass up.” The woman snarled. She grabbed Annabelle by her hair, jerking her to a standing position, dragging her over to a makeshift stockade in the middle of what she supposed was the campsite._

_“Now, in case youre too damn stupid to have figured it out, I am Patty Canon. And YOU belong to me now.”_


	4. The dreaded Patty Canon

_“Patty Canon?” Annabelle’s eyes narrowed in poorly concealed rage. “Patty Canon? How ironic. I’ve been wanting a go at you for a while.” She didn’t even yelp as she was slapped across the face, arms tightly held bound in the clutches of the stock. “Why…why… are you doing this to me?”_

_“To show you how it feels, to be broken” Patty slapped her again, hard knuckles colliding with her cheekbones._

_“You’ve already broken me.” Annabelle’s voice was weak, the churning in her stomach growing harder. She groaned as a pill was shoved into her mouth, and she swallowed it, weak enough she could barely hold her head up. “You took the most…important part of my life…you took my Stine.”_

_“Oh yes.” Something changed in Patty’s voice. “I remember her. As I recall, you didn’t have the guts to sell her yourself. She called out for you as she died you know. Suzanna got a pretty penny for her.”_

_“Wait…what? I..I never…” Annabelle raised her head, yelping in surprise as she was smacked on the back of the head._

_“Don’t look me in the eyes you bitch.” Patty’s voice was like ice, cold as the very stones. “You bought this horse with the money. Suzanna told me so, when she sold her to me. Said you didn’t want her anymore, but you weren’t woman enough to get rid of her yourself. Said you were in the market for a new horse.”_

_“No.. Wait. That isn’t true! Whatever Suzanna told you, was a lie! Patty, Miss Canon, please! I never” Annabelle protested, whimpering as she was struck, again and again across the face._

_“Suzanna told me everything. Told Ernestine everything too. You SOLD her. YOU, the one who promised her everything! Oh yes, I know about that! Ernestine told me as she begged me to kill her. Didn’t want to live without you.”_

_“Suzanna told me Stine was dead! She came back torn, bloodied, She said you ambushed-”_

_“ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES!” The breath was knocked out of her, as the woman punched her in the stomach, over and over again, screams of rage echoing throughout the clearing._

_“Please….just kill me.” Annabelle’s whisper was weak, the taste of blood on her tongue. She whimpered, closing her eyes, imagining the warmth of honey colored brown eyes, a gentleness she hoped shed be seeing again soon. “K…kill me. Please.”_

_“No.” The woman hissed. “I promised Ernestine one thing before she died. One thing. I would make you pay for the heartache you caused her.”_

_“This is a huge misunderstanding.” She could barely breathe, the pain in her stomach growing far more intense, the cramps intensifying. She whimpered, her eyes closing as she hung there in the stocks._

_“Tell me this, How can you value the life of a horse, over the life of the woman you supposedly loved more than life itself?” Canon snarled, eye to eye with her, shaking her head._

_“I cant reason with you…can I? I DIED THAT DAY! And I DIED AGAIN THE DAY JAMES WAS KILLED. JUST AS I DIED WHEN SAM DIED. I LOVED HER. MORE THAN MY OWN LIFE. I GAVE UP MY HEALTH, FOR HERS WHEN WE WERE YOUNG.I TOOK MY FATHERS LASH TO SPARE HER THE PAIN OF IT” Annabelle’s shout was ferocious, and she braced herself for the slap that never came._

_“James has died as well?” Canon’s back was to her, something in the outlaw’s voice she couldn’t place. Annabelle tried to breathe, tried to steady herself, but could feel her leg’s shaking , knees buckling. “How did it happen?”_

_“If…y..you must know….after….after Stine died…Suzanna bought him a horse……a stallion from…..Kentucky….He was thrown. Body….cliff….” She fell silent, sagging in the stocks, passing out cold._

_“She’s telling the truth.” Annabelle heard a man’s voice, her eyes opening gradually, to see him kneeling over the fire. “She aint lyin to you. Why would she?”_

_“I don’t think so. Something was off….Im convinced this was it. She’s a traitor. You know what we do to traitors August.” Canon’s voice wasn’t fierce like it was earlier, instead it was soft, filled with what sounded like grief and tears. It couldn’t be. She was imagining things._

_“Patty…” Annabelle whispered, raising her head, eyes widening as she caught a glimpse of the woman’s face. Patty Canon, the slave trader was dark skinned! How was that possible?_

_“Keep your eyes down!” The slap made her ears ring. “How DARE you look at me?”_

_“Ive done nothing wrong….I…Oh God…” She whimpered as white hot pain shot through her stomach and lower back, and she began again to throw up, not even realizing she’d tossed the contents of her stomach out on the shiny boots directly in front of her._

_“Stupid girl.” The outlaw muttered, though there was a softness to her voice that hadn’t been there before. Annabelle yelped as she felt cold hands on her stomach and heard a quiet, horrified gasp._

_“August! Get her down! Now!” Canon’s hands pressing against her stomach caused her to whimper, and in a moment she was sobbing in pain._

_“Shhhh….easy now. Easy. How long have you known?”_

_“Known what?” Annabelle whispered, her voice slurred, weak as she was lowered softly to the ground, collapsing on the knapsack serving as a pillow._

_“Known you are with child?” Canon knelt over her in such a way that she couldn’t see her face, yet the soft hands were gentle against her stomach._

_“I…I didn’t know….” Annabelle felt tears run down her cheeks. She shook her head. Well, the kindness was short lived. The slap in her face sent shock through her body. She already felt her heart speeding up again._

_“Do not lie to me. Who is the father?” Patty canon hissed in her ear. She slapped Annabelle again._

_“Patty. Enough.” August. August Pullman! Annabelle lifted her head, eyes weak as she sank back. “She’s DYING. You DON’T want to do this. You don’t Need Revenge. Theres nothing to get revenge for!”_

_“Silence.” Patty snarled, turning back to Annabelle. “The truth will keep you alive. I have no intention of killing you until you know true suffering.”_

_“I…Tom…” She yelped as Canon lifted her by the shoulders, staring into her eyes._

_“Tom MACON? This would’ve been when you were still with Ernestine? SO you mean to add being unfaithful to your list”_

_“No…please…you don’t understand! I would never! I…I…Oh what were you told? I don’t care, just kill me. Im not going to try to reason with you. Just kill me.”_

_“You slept with Tom Macon? Lets see….that would be AFTER Sam was killed? You…you-“_

_“ENOUGH!” August lifted Canon into the air, dragging her behind the wagons, and Annabelle heard the muffled argument. Words like rape, and vengeance, and true love reached her ears, but all she could think of was she was grateful to be alone. She closed her eyes, feeling the pain in her stomach, her hands shaking as she opened the locked, ripping the chain from her neck, holding the locket in her hand._

_“I..I don’t know if you can hear me. Don’t know if you even care….I know you died….hating me….Patty says so. Says I…I betrayed you…..just…I never…I never did…Stine…I swore Id love you till the day I died…..take me home….now? Let me be with you again….”She didn’t notice Patty had knelt back next to her._

_“Shh. Listen to me.” Annabelle whimpered, shrinking away from the hand that touched her bruised jawline. She was nearly too weak to move, but she managed to raised her own hand to push Patty’s away from her._

_“Don’t….touch me….please” Annabelle managed to beg, though her words fell on deaf ears._

_“Tell me what happened.” Patty’s voice was softer than it had been before, and Annabelle shook her head._

_“Cant…hurts to talk…..please…just…all I can say…i…it wasn’t by choice. He…He forced….” She heard Patty swear, and she flinched away as far as she could._

_“Im…sorry.” She’d never expected this. Never expected an apology of all things. Annabelle whimpered through the pain, involuntarily clutching the hand the took her own._

_“W..why…..please just…kill me…you wanted ….vengeance…..take it….let me go….home…let me be…with Stine.” Her voice was ragged, and she barely opened her eyes. She didn’t know how long shed been here, how long shed been in pain, but her heart was aching, both with loss, and with physical pain. “I….I want to see her again. Just….I…I wish she’d known I loved her. When she ….when….w….wh..en..”_

_“Shhhh. don’t try to talk. Save your strength. August, Take the mare. Ride to the carriage house. Go get help. I cant move her.”_

_“I…I loved her…” Annabelle whispered, desperate to convey the truth of her words. She felt the calloused hands in her hair, and she found it ironic that the woman was trying to offer comfort. “Just let me die…let me be with her again. Let me…Oh please Patty, let me die. I…I didn’t do whatever you think I did. I would never….ever have betrayed her…I loved her..more than life…more than anything. Patty….I just…I…I want Stine…I want to be with Stine…”_

_“I cant do that.” The voice was softer still, and Annabelle shook her head._

_“No…no..please…kill me….or just leave me here….please? I…I want to…I..” She shook her head, sighing weakly. “She…hated me….didnt she?_

_“No. No…she…Oh God WHAT have I done?” Annabelle closed her eyes again, trying to breathe evenly._

_“I…I…Loved her. I love her still. I..I feel awful. About what Suzanna did. I..Id have tracked her to the ends of the earth, to ….be…..with her….again…..” She was fading. She knew it. She KNEW she didn’t have long. “I…You have her shawl…please…could I…could I…”_

_“Here. Ill do one better.” She felt arms wrap around her, felt tears on her face. “Im sorry….I made assumptions…..I should’ve asked you…I should’ve KNOWN….Please….hold on.”_

_“Just…let me go…let me be with Stine…..if….if she even still have me.” Annabelle’s voice was barely audible. Barely above a whisper. “I…I didn’t want….to make her think I wanted anything….that happened….I cant….I loved her….I wish…I wish she knew….”_

_“She knows.” Patty whispered. “She knows. She knows and she loves you too. Never stopped, actually. She…loved you….”_

_“She’ll….she’ll be my heaven then?” Annabelle whispered, whimpering as she heard Patty grinding up one of the remaining pills. “No…I…I don’t want it…I….please…just let me go. I…cant…I cant live, without her.” She raised her head as she heard hoofbeats, and the sound of carriage wheels._

_“Oh my GOD! Annabelle?” Elizabeth. Lizzy. Oh no. Not her. Anyone but her._

_“No. Get her in the carriage. You. Get her up. No. I’ll take her. Noah, hold the horses steady. We’ve got to ride, and ride hard.” She felt herself being lifted into the air. “We’ll need you to come along. You know herbs, correct?”_

_“Course she does” Rosalee. Had EVERYONE come along? Why couldn’t they just let her die?_

_“Don’t….just leave me here…..I like the grass…..soft. comforting……good place to die….no point now….she hated me…..I…I’m sorry.”_

_“Im going to KILL Suzanna.” Patty? Why? What was happening?_

_“NO. Youre riding back with us. You’ve made a mess of enough. You’ve got to explain yourself.” Shed never heard Rosalee so angry. “You have no idea what shes been through. You really are a fight first ask questions later person aint you?”_

_“Quit arguing. Both of you. NOW.” Harriet._

_“H..Harriet?” Annabelle asked, her eyes fluttering open. “Please….do something….for me?”_

_“Course.”_

_"F…find out…where Patty buried….Stine…I..I want to be…..” Annabelle trailed off, falling into unconsciousness._

_“Shhh…youll be with her..sooner than you think.”_


End file.
